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Chemists make ‘impossible’ molecules that break 100-year-old bonding rule

The molecules were deemed too unstable to make, but experiments show they can be ‘captured’ in certain reactions to yield useful products.
By
  1. Gemma Conroy

For the first time, chemists have made a class of molecules previously thought too unstable to exist, and used them to generate exotic compounds1. Scientists say these notorious molecules, known as anti-Bredt olefins (ABOs), offer a new path to synthesizing challenging drug candidates.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03538-4

References

  1. McDermott, L. et al. Science 386, eadq3519 (2024).

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  2. Chan, T. H. & Massuda, D. J. Am. Chem. Soc 99, 936–937(1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

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